Buffer for railway-cars.



S. S. COLE.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPUCAUON FHED MAY8.I9IL 1,250,142. Patented De@.18,19'.1

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL S. COLE, OF COKEBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TO WILSON A. LUCE, 0F SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, ONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM E.

LAI-IM AND ONE-FOURTH T0 WESLEY I VANIA.

I. BECIQzBOTH 0F .'ELLSWORTI-I, PENNSYL- BUFFER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMUEL Sl. COLE, residing at Cokeburg, in the county of Vashington and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Buffers for Railway-Cars, of which improvements the following is a specification.

for the purpose of getting better traction of Y locomotive upon rail often so far interrupts the normal path of flow as to seriously increase the likelihood of erratic discharge; and, when to these conditions are added darkness and the carelessness and'ignorance of men, the situation is manifestly one fraught with danger. The desirability then of insulating car from car is manifest.

The buffer of a car must be. strong for its intended service; it must be durable under the shocks of coupling and stopping. The draft mechanism between car and car must also be strong to endure strain and shock.

My improved buffer is at once a buffer and a traction member; it serves at once as a block through which traction is communicated and a block to take the thrusts of coupling and stopping.

Since its services are so multiplied, my improved buffer must manifestly be strong to transmit mechanical strain and resistant to blows and stress, and yet, in order to accomplish the ends now in view, it must be electrically non-conducting.

The buffer of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l shows the buffer in top plan view; Fig. 2 shows it in horizontal section; Fig. 3 shows it in front elevation, with a portion of the face-plate broken away; and Fig. 4

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 18, 1917,

Application ledMay 8, 1917. Serial N0. 167,324.

shows it in vertical section. The plane of section of Fig. 2 is indicated by the line II-II, Fig. 3; and the plane of section of Fig. -l by the line IV-IV, Fig. 2.

The buffer is essentially a block; and, to effect the object in view, is a block of insulating material. This block of insulating material is indicated in the drawings by the numeral l. It may conveniently be formed of wood, though other suitable insulation materia-l may be used.

To the opposite sides of this block traction members are secured; and, that the block may better serve as a. buffer, .its forward face is iron-clad, with the plate G.

The traction member on the rear is a U- bolt 2, whose arms doubly bent (to abut against the reary face of blockl, as shown in Figs. l and 2), extend through the body of block l, from rear to front, and are secured by nuts 3 resting in recesses countersunk inthe forward face of block l. The loop of the U-bo-lt forms a link through which the buffer is secured to the car. The traction member on the front is a link--here shown as an ordinary coupling-link 4 pinned in a recess (which allows lateral swing of the link) in the forward face of block l. A channel-shaped strap 5 encircles the block l about its middle, covering the rear face and upper and lower faces; it overlies, above and below, the recess just mentioned as formed in the face of the block, and through it the coupling-link 4 is pinned to the block. Thus the strap 5 and the nuts 3 bearing directly in opposite directions on the body of block l take the traction strain.

Steel plates 14 (cf. Fig. 2) may be let into recesses in block 1 beneath the arms of U- bolt 2, to distribute the stress of buiiing.

The steel plate 6 covering the forward face of block 1 is bolted to block 1 by bolts 7, and the block may be further strengthened against crushing and splintering by vertically extending clamping bolts 8.

A slotted board 16, taking over the U- bolt 2 when in place, may finish the block to rearward.

Hand irons 9 may be provided for convenience in applying the structure.

Such being the features of construction, so far as concerns the mechanical strains of service, it remains to note the provisions for electrical insulation, cutting olf all current flow from car to car, or from locomotive to car. p The block 1 is, as has been said, formed of insulating material, conveniently of wood. Overlying the countersunk recesses in which the nuts 3 are positioned, and extending between the ends of the arms of the U-bolt 2 and the face plate (i, are sheets l0 of insulating material-com veniently indurated fiber. But such particular material may be employed as is found suitable. Again, rearward of the strap 5, and interposed between it and the block-abutting bends in U-bolt 2 is inter- 'posed a like sheet of insulating material 1l. The strap 5 may, at points immediately opposite the bends of the U-bolt 2, be cut away, as indicated at 15. Finally, overlying the arms of the channel-shaped strap 5 above and below, are the sheets of insulating material 12, 13. Thus flow of current from U-bolt 2 is out ofi' by sheets 10 and 11.; and flow from link 4l is cut ofl' by sheets 11, 12, and 13.

I claim as my invention:

1. A buffer and traction block for railway cars including` a body of electrically nonconducting material and metal coupling members engaging said body and extending from opposite faces thereof, the body-engaging members at the points of bearing being overlaid with insulating material.

2. A buffer and traction block for railway cars including a body of electrically non- Y conducting material, a metal strap encircling the body to rearward, and opening foi'- wardly to receive a coupling link and provided with openings for a coupling pin, a coupling member in the form of a U-bolt eX- tending through said body from rear to front, and straddling said strap, insulation covering said strap rearwardly, and insulation covering` said U-bolt forwardly.

3. A buffer and traction blo/ck for railway cars including a body of insulating material, a `coupling-loop in the form of a U- bolt extending through said body from rear to front, a plate covering` the face of said block, and insulation interposed between said cover plate and the forward ends of said U-bolt.

et. A buffer and traction block for railway cars including a body of insulating material, a strap surrounding said body medially, a traction bolt of general U-shape, having double bends in each arm secured to said body and bearing upon said body to rearward, and a body of insulation interposed between said strap and said bolt.

5. A traction block for railway cars including a body of insulating material, a strap surrounding` said body7 and perforated to receive a coupling-pin, said strap being overlaid with sheets of insulating material.

(5. A buffer and traction block for railway cai-s including a body of electrically nonconducting material, and metal coupling members engaging said body and extending from opposite faces thereof, the body-engagmg members being electrically insulated ducting material.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL S. COLE.

Vitnesses MARK KNESTRICK, MELviN Wisia.

copies if this patent 'may be attained for aye cents each, ty addressing tire commissioner of Patents. wsiiingtu, n. c.

from each other by said body of non-conf- 

